In the Footsteps of My Father Genesis 26:1-33

When did you “become a dad”? I don’t mean, when was your first child born, but I mean, when did you reach the point where you did dad things? Maybe it was when I realized that I wear a belt every day that is older than my teenaged children. Perhaps it was when I spent 10 minutes with my son detailing my preferred pattern for mowing the front yard to make it as attractive as possible. Probably, it was when I began to give major emotional energy to gas mileage! I realized this weekend that all of my most recent conversations with Suzanne began with a detailed description of what great gas mileage I’d gotten on my most recent drive! Whenever the moment was, we are grateful for dads, their examples in the faith, and the opportunity to follow in their footsteps in the faith.

-We can revisit God’s past faithfulness to find His present power

I. Walk in Our Fathers’ Promise vv. 1-5

In our passage this morning, the setting gives us a feel of the urgency of the situation: v. 1

It is a time of famine and hardship

While Isaac is the promised son of Abraham, he does not miss out on difficult days

The question in front of him through this passage is simple: How will he endure the hard days when they come? He will do it by following in his father’s footsteps

There is an incredible continuity with Abraham’s story vv. 2-4

He is forbidden from going to Egypt, a place of failure for Abraham, but instead stays nearby, landing in Philistine territory controlled by Abimelech

As part of this continuity, we see a call to remain in the Promised Land, alongside a covenant of presence; it is a commitment to obedience coupled with a promise of blessing

Isaac is literally walking in the promise given to his father Abraham in a direct way v. 5

It is because of Abraham and God’s promise to him that Isaac is able to live in the blessing of God

This ought not be a foreign concept to us, because as people redeemed by Jesus, we share in God’s promises to Abraham: We are now true children of God in Christ

God has a hope and a home for you marked by His presence and commitment to graciously bless you, if you receive it in Jesus; we can walk in the same promise as our fathers in the faith!

Galatians 3:25–29

[25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (ESV)

II. Walk in our Fathers’ Protection vv. 6-11

Immediately, a problem arises: Isaac follows his father, but it is in a pattern of sin

Twice, Abraham deceived others about the identity of his wife and threatened the entire family and plan to create a people of promise

Now, out of fear of Abimelech, Isaac falls into the same pattern of deception

While he walks in Abraham’s sin, Isaac also experiences the Lord’s protection

Abimelech uncovers the lie and no one from the Philistines takes Rebekah as a wife

Interestingly, Abimelech takes guilt before the Lord more seriously than Isaac does and the family is protected as a result

Further, we need to understand that Isaac experiences grace here

This is a significant failure on Isaac’s part; he should have known better and never done it

However, the failure is not fatal. God is not finished with Isaac and he will find that the Lord’s grace is sufficient for even the hardest moments

We do well to warn against the dangers of sin. We ought not sin so that grace would abound. However, we can never lose sight of the awesome beauty of the mercy and grace of God towards His people

III. Walk in our Fathers’ Provision vv. 12-16

While in the land of Gerar, Isaac becomes shockingly fruitful.

Interestingly, we see that he has become fruitful before he has become wealthy

I believe that this is noteworthy; wealth is a blessing that can become a double-edged sword and we are not instructed by the Lord to pursue the wealthy life

Fruitfulness, however, ought to be the goal of the life of every believer!

Fruitfulness comes in many forms: influence, character, and reproduction of disciples to name a few

However fruitfulness can only come from one source: abiding in Christ

I believe that it is worth noting, also, that this fruitfulness comes in a hard place

They are in a foreign land

The wells are stopped up

The people want them gone

The fruitfulness that we experience in Christ is not circumstantial, but is instead the overflow of His life being poured out in and through us

John 15:5

[5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (ESV)

IV. Walk in our Fathers’ Power vv. 17-22

In the face of another hard obstacle, Isaac makes a bold move: he uncovers the wells of his father Abraham

These wells are an important symbol; ownership of a well means that you have the capability to stay in a place

No amount of wealth or livestock can overcome a lack of water; you may have all of the things necessary to claim a place as your own, but if you do not have wells you will not endure hardship and famine

Isaac uncovers the old wells and restores them, calling them by the same names his father used v. 18

There are some “old wells” for us today to go to and find the kind of life-giving vitality that is ours in Christ

The Word

Prayer

Worship

They have not run dry, even if they have been covered up for a little while; you will find there the same source that gave life to your fathers in years gone by and it is good for us today

Further, they keep moving and growing until the time comes to dig more wells of their own vv. 19-22

They strive and struggle until eventually they have room to grow and become what God intends for them to be at a place called Rehobeth

We have some “new wells” before us that it is time to uncover:

Christian Community

Ministry and Mission

Like Isaac, when we uncover the wells, we will have the power to endure and to continue in fruitful living; without them, we have no life and no hope

V. Walk with our Fathers’ God vv. 23-33

In the closing passage, we see three truths about Isaac’s relationship with the Lord, at a place called Beersheba:

The Lord will be with Isaac v. 24

The Lord will bless Isaac v. 24

The Lord will multiply Isaac v. 24

Everything that He did for Abraham, He will do for Isaac

In the wake of this blessing, Abimelech attempts to make peace with Isaac with a pact between them

Abimelech has plainly seen that the Lord has been with Isaac and that changes everything

Isaac is now the blessed of the Lord; it is his turn to walk with God

I believe that this invitation is in front of us today:

Return to the old wells

Uncover some new wells

Walk with the Lord!

In 1894, a son was born in the Moody household. Teddy had a house full of sisters and a life in the real West, in Oklahoma. When duty called, he joined the military and fought in WWI. Coming home, he took the opportunity to use his war money to purchase land in Florida. Travelling by mule and wagon, he made his way south, doing a little itinerant preaching along the way. Unfortunately, his land in Florida was all under water. Returning to Oklahoma, Teddy stopped at a church near Marion, Alabama where a young lady caught his eye. Her family wasn’t happy about the prospect of her marrying off to a Yankee, so they sped away to Mobile where they would share life and 10 children together. Teddy blacksmithed, a trade he learned from his mother, and served the Lord faithfully. Someway and somehow, through the years of raising children, the hard times of the Depression and the War, the Lord always provided. He continued as a lay preacher, preaching to the men at the Waterfront Rescue Mission and at the County Prison Farm. He was my great-grandfather. It turns out that I will never walk his path, but I can walk with his God.